Medical marijuana: Town hall meeting looks to educate

Legislators, families and community members aim to educate the public about medical cannabis

Postcards like the one photographed here are being sent to Gov. Tom Corbett as part a plan to inundate the office with cards in support of Senate Bill 1182, the Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Act. Pictured in the card is Annie Sharrer, 9, of Tyrone Township, Adams County. Annie suffers multiple seizures every week due to her epilepsy that her parents, Angie and Matt Sharrer, want to treat with medical cannabis. (Submitted)

Angie Sharrer and her husband Matt have been trying, albeit unsuccessfully, to sit down with Gov. Tom Corbett and talk about medical cannabis.

They want Corbett to listen to the story of their daughter, 9-year-old Annie, and stories of other parents whose children with epilepsy suffer multiple seizures every day. They want the governor to consider supporting efforts to legalize medical cannabis.

But all they have heard is the governor is looking into the issue, Angie said.

Frustrated with the governor's inaccessibility, the Tyrone Township couple is joining a statewide mailing initiative that intends to flood Corbett's mailbox with hundreds, possibly thousands, of postcards offering support for Senate Bill 1182, which would legalize medical marijuana in Pennsylvania.

The postcards mailed April 26 contained the message, "I stand behind Annie and many other Pennsylvanians that need safe access to medical cannabis. Please support Senate Bill 1182."

Officials from Corbett's office did not immediately return phone calls April 25.

But for the Sharrers, the activism does not end with postcards or repeated phone calls and emails to the governor's office.

Angie and Matt will join local families and community support service members on May 1 at a discussion forum hosted by Sen. Rich Alloway, R-Chambersburg, and state Reps. Dan Moul, R-Conewago Township and Will Tallman, R-Reading Township.

The town hall-style informational session, held at Southeastern Adams Volunteer Emergency Services, 5865 Hanover Road in Conewago Township, will begin at 6 p.m.

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Legislators said they hope the open dialogue is driven by facts.

Lebanon County Sen. Mike Folmer, who introduced S.B. 1182, will make the trip to Adams County to answer questions about his bill.

Fears and misconceptions surrounding the cannabis plant make people think of "Fast Times at Ridgemont High," when they hear marijuana, Folmer said.

"This is about education," Folmer said. "Here is a plant I believe God has given us to help people with various illnesses. Once you see what we're trying to do here, I don't see the fear."

Folmer, a Republican from what he described as a conservative district, said he did not confide in his staff when he drafted S.B. 1182, or the Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Act. It was something he said he knew in his heart was the right thing to do.

Joining legislators at the town hall meeting will be Shawn Berkebile, pastor at St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Abbottstown, who said he has seen Annie's struggle and suffer through having seizures from infancy. Berkebile said he is not politicizing from the pulpit, but rather sharing his concerns and the concerns of his congregation, to which the Sharrers belong.

"I have a lot of passion about this," said Berkebile, adding he has received endorsements to speak publicly about medical marijuana from his congregation and Bishop James Dunlop of the Lower Susquehanna Synod. "My hope is we can motivate Rich Alloway and some others to stand up with us."

Still, local lawmakers have not expressly issued their support of legalizing medical marijuana. Moul, Tallman and Alloway have all said they do not want to see Pennsylvania become the next Colorado.

Tallman said he has been approached by very conservative families who have children suffering from epilepsy who want to use medical cannabis. Folmer's bill has a lot of issues that have to be resolved, Tallman said.

But like Moul and Alloway, Tallman said he is willing to listen to the discussion.

"The potential legalization of cannabis for medical purposes has generated a wide range of strong opinions from local residents," Alloway said in a news release. "Lawmakers have a responsibility to make sure that we separate fact from fiction in order to make a decision that is best for Pennsylvania."

Local families plan to attend

Cara and Chris Salemme, of North Codorus Township; John and Natalie Gilmore, of West Manheim Township; and Debbie and Bob Foster, of Straban Township, all families who have children suffering from epilepsy, are slated to attend the meeting on May 1.

John and Natalie's daughter, 12-year-old Lili, has been on a medically-approved trial of cannabidiol oil conducted by New York University's Langone Medical Center.

Debbie Foster moved back to Pennsylvania in March after taking her daughter, 15-year-old Lydia, to Colorado to try medical cannabis. Lydia was taking cannabidiol oil, or CBD, a marijuana compound for several months and was seeing improvements, her mother said. But paying a mortgage in Pennsylvania and rent in Colorado proved too costly for the family, she said.

Cara and Chris Salemme have been in and out of the hospital this year with their son, 7-year-old Jackson. Since January, Jackson's seizures have gotten worse, Cara said.

Mark Walters covers Adams County for The Evening Sun. Contact him at 717-637-3736 ext. 147.

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